Cap and pourer



June 23, 1931. T. N. DERBY 1,811,113

CAP AND POURER Filed Aug. 50, 1929 gwventom -YZOMOS AZ jk/fiy,

dun MW Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" THOIVQAS N. DERBY, OF ROUND LAKE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO SAID THOMAS N. DERBY AND ELWIN s BENTLEY oar AND rouan'n.

- Application 11165 August 30, 1929. erla1 No. 389,511.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle closures and particularly pouring closures adapted for use in connection with milk wherein the closure has the function of selectively permitting the pouring of either milk or cream from the bottle.

It is an object of the invention to provide a closure which will be securely held in place upon the bottle and be liquid-tight with respect thereto and which will be provided with two openings spaced apart, one permitting the discharge of cream and the other the discharge of milk.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an extremely simple construction for this purpose which can be utilized by the average housewife without difiiculty and which can either by a. permanent closure served with the milk bottle or an attachment therefor.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view.

Figure 2 is a view in sideclevation.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, and

Figure 4 is another sectional view.

The closure may be stamped, out or otherwise formed from material such as sheet metal, paper as flexible cardboard, celluloid or any one of a number of substances or compositions which can be regarded as thor foughly sanitary and having suflicient rigidity.

In the present instance, there is illustrated a metal cap at 10, which is provided with cut away portions forming spaced projections 11 which are curved as shown to fit about the lip of the usual standard milkbottle, so as to securely clamp the cap in place.

The base of the cap shownisrcircular, although it may be square, rectangular or of irregular-form and formed at a point between its diameter and'the periphery is a triangular opening 12 which willbe called the cream opening. In the formation of this opening the metal is preferably struck from the base of the cap to form a pouring spout indicated at 13. It will be noted that the base of the struck-out-portion is parallel with the diameter and that the opening is tapered upwardly. In this manner, the struck-out-por- 14 may. r6tate about the cap, and cover and .fit in the opening 14 in the cap to effectively 'tion 13 can be very easily concaved to'serve as an effective pouring spout. V In the other half of the base of the cap and below the diameter thereof substantially mid-way between it and the circumference n is a relatively small circular opening indicated at 14. This opening which is in diametrical alignment with the larger opening 12, is adapted to be closed when cream is being poured through the opening 12 and no spout 13 and for this purpose, I provide a swinging closure indicated at 15, which it will be observed, is attached to the base of the cap by a rivet or stud 16, whereby the closure uncover the opening 14. The pivoted closure or valve 15has a portion thereof bent in as shown at 17 andthis concave portion is adapted in the closed position of the valve to seal it.

Since in the present case, all of the parts are of thin metal, the closure itself will resiliently grip the lipbf the bottle and the swinging or pivoted valve will likewise snap into the opening 14 to effectively close it.

ThlS, of course, would also be true with a closure of cardboard or celluloid of-sul'li'cient hp to seal the contents from passing about the bottle between the cap and leaking down about the lip and sides. I

A housewife having attached the present invention to a milk bottle, may tilt the bottle after the mann r shown in Figure 3 and since the cream bei g lighter is at the top, care need only be ta en to the end that the pouring be slowly conducted until the cream level has been discharged. In other words, it is 9 only necessary to tilt the bottle and watch until the cream content or so much of it as desired is discharged. The cream will come out smoothly through the opening 12 and be directed by the spout 13 as desired.

It will be noted that the opening 12 is so spaced with respect to the cap and the bottle and is of such area that it will substantially coincide with a portion of the opening in the lip of the milk bottle, so that the cream will have an unobstructed passage; This is indicated in Figure 3 and while, of course, the present device is adapted for the standard milk bottle, the opening12 and spout can be moved to accommodate other sizes of bottles. It has been found that the opening can be successfully located by having its base or largest dimension parallel to the diameter of the capand about mid-way between that diameter and the periphery of the cap. It is then only necessary to make the opening of such a depth that its curved edge or angular edges will coincide with the rounded edge of the interior or" the lip of the bottle. This, as previously stated, is shown in Figures 1 and 3. If all of the cream has been taken off, clearly the opening 12 and spout 13 can be used or removing the milk or most of it.

On the other hand, it is assumed that only a portion of the cream is desired and that a quantity is left in the bottle. This being the case and it being desired to dispense milk from the bottle, it is only necessary-'for' the housewife to again tilt the bottle, keep'ing'the cream level below the opening 12. This having been done, the closure 15 is moved on its pivot 16 to uncover the opening l ltwhen the milk constituting the lower stratum will pass out through the opening 14, as shown in Figure 4.

In this manner, all of the cream can be se lectively taken fromthe bottle and substan tially all of the milk can likewise be removed.

It will be seen that vit is only necessary to. watch the extent of the'strata of milk and cream, the cream being the lighter and uppermost stratum, while the milk being the heav ier constitutes the lowermost one.

In other words, as shown in Figure 3, the

opening 14 will be closed when it is desired to skim the milk or take oii the cream' con-' tent,-and when it is desired to take off the milk content and leave the cream in the bottle, the bottle will be tilted to bring the cream level in a position where it will not pass out through the opening 12, and will be suflicient ly above the opening 14 to permit a flow of the lower stratum of the fluid, namely, the milk, 'as shown in Fi re 4.

The spout 13 may, in some instances, serve as a finger piece when it is desired to remove the attachment, although, .of course, the at' tachment may be easily removed from the bottle lip by pulling upon the -fingers 11.

While I have illustrated in the drawings a cap having the fingers 11, it will be understood that the invention could be embodied in an ordinary pasteboard cap, such as is commonly employed in milk bottles, where in the cap would be frictionally held in the lip of the bottle,

Moreover, the device could take the further form of an attachment comprising merely a flat cap, without the fingers 11, and including a backing, such as the washer 18, which could be held in. position by various means.

Further modifications and alterations may be made in this device without, however, avoiding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A container closure having a plurality of spaced pouring openings therein,-a spout in direct communication with one of said openings, a closure for the other of said openings and means for securing the closure to a receptacle, said spout being directed across the container closure toward the other containing milk and cream in their strata relation, of a closure secured to the bottle having an opening coinciding with a portion only of the openi'n in the neck of the bottle whereby thebottle may be tilted and the 'cream discharged through said opening, said closure having a second opening spaced from said first mentioned opening and coinciding with another portion of the opening in the neck of the bottle, whereby milk constituting another and lower stratum when the bottle is tilted may be discharged, means closing said second opening, and a spout communicating with said first mentioned opening and extending across the container closure toward the other opening.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

